How to start incorporating GDPR in your marketing

on Monday, 29 January 2018

With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) due to come into force in May 2018, it’s important for businesses to understand how to comply and incorporate it into their marketing strategies. This article is here to guide you through how the GDPR may affect the marketing aspect of your business, and how you can effectively and appropriately comply with the new rules that it sets.

Firstly, let’s address how the GDPR affects marketing.

Regarding opt-ins, opt-outs, consent regarding communications, potential and current customers must agree that they can be contacted and that their data can be used freely. In other words, using a pre-ticked box is no longer acceptable. Nor is assuming consent due to inactivity. The GDPR mandates that consent must be ‘freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous,' and articulated by a ‘clear affirmative action.'

There’s also the addition of the ‘right to be forgotten’ aspect, with the GDPR handing over more control to individuals, giving them some means of accessing and potentially removing their data. This gives customers a greater say on how their data is used and collected.

Businesses will need to undertake better housekeeping regarding their marketers, due to changes to the legal basis for processing personal data. This means reducing data collection for unnecessary reasons.

So, what does this mean regarding complying with these new rules?

While it’s not necessary to employ a dedicated Data Protection Officer, for large businesses this may be a good idea just to aid the understanding of the new legislation – something that’s imperative if it’s going to be employed effectively and properly. Not only will they be able to undertake data audits, but having such an expert available to the business could help to avoid potential noncompliance.

Marketers will also need to make sure that they can easily facilitate access to data, as people may ask to view, amend or destroy customer data.

It may cost you a few pennies. It’s probably sensible to allocate a budget to GDPR in 2018 to account for additional costs needed regarding educating the team, reordering your strategy of full compliance, and adjusting your systems. It’s best to be ahead of the game.

Essentially, for marketers, it is key that you follow the principles outlined in GDPR and ensure you can prove how you have gained consent to the information you hold. Putting in place a corporate fairness processing notice that the data subject can require ensuring there’s no doubt about how the data is to be processed.

If you would like any further advice on marketing for yourself or your business, then contact Shamshad directly on shamshad@shamshadwalker.co.uk or call 0115 880 0247